Horse Fence

Horses are some of nature's most majestic animals. They almost have a personality akin to that of a human. Therefore, horses often do not like to be hemmed in. They like to explore, see what going on around them, and have adventures...much like people.

Electric Horse Fences Regrettably sometimes horses have to be fenced in. Often this is for their own protection. Horses cannot live behind a fence they cannot see through, it is odd but true.

Therefore wire fences are often employed to keep horses on a property. Occasionally this still isn't enough, and an electrified fence must be employed to curb the horses desire to roam free.

While there is some debate as to whether this practice is cruel or not, we know it works, and if it prevents horses from running onto the road and causing even more painful accidents, it is worth it.

Just try touching an electric fence and you'll know why it works. While not explicitly painful, you will remember not to touch it again. Animals learn this valuable lesson almost as quickly.

How An Electric Fence Works Here's a rough guide detailing how an electric fence works to protect your investment.

The above ground, active part of the system consists of a wire fence that is electrically charged.

Power is pushed through the fence by a charger (or energizer). In order to comply with safety standards, the majority of systems send the power through a series of pulses, about one per second. This allows a person or animal time to let go or break contact with the fence.

A ground system is laid in the earth. It is most commonaly made up of a series of metal rods which are connected to the charger through a ground wire. The system remains inactive until a person or animal touches the both the fence and ground. Once activated, the ground system draws the charge through the person and back to the charger through the ground wire.

Basically how the fence works is that electricity will only flow if the circuit is closed. When the fence is free standing there is no current flowing through it. When a horse or any livestock touches the fence, they close the circuit and the fence becomes electrified, thus administering a small shock.

Voltage Requirements When you buy an electric fence there are two factors, which will determine what kind of charge is delivered. If you want the charge to carry across a long distance you will need a high voltage. If you need to increase the strength of the shock you will need to increase the amperage.